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And now I’m back with an awesome valentine idea from Karrie at the Happy Money Saver! {she’s so awesome!} This is so adorable, healthy, and inexpensive to do for Valentine’s. You don’t have to feel guilty at all for not giving out candy, as kids and adults love to eat cuties. I find that you can buy them cheaply at Costco and sometimes they go on sale at Target for $3.99. The clear cello bags are 4×6 inch bags that you can get at Michael’s, Joann’s or even the dollar store. I find that this is the perfect size for the square tags without having to trim anything extra off.

ANNNDD…this is a big and, she has FREE printables for them on her site! So hop on over there and download and print! You can thank me now. All you need is some of those clear bags and if you feel like getting creative, get the kids to put some stickers on the bags or even write their own names on the tags, {yup, that’s right! get them to do some work!}

And if you feel like getting creative, you can use the tag line for different items to give, like bananas or even apples!

And that’s what it looks like when you ask two little toddlers to pose for you while taking photos! Happy Valentine’s Day!

Is it January 2015 already? Since I haven’t blogged in what seems like ages…I can’t apologize anymore for it as it is what it is! 2014 literally flew by and I’m still not sure where all my photos went 😦

The fall holidays have left me spent! Photography has been kind to me and so my days are filled with taking lots and lots of photos and chasing my guy around. Thank you to all my clients this past year and that this year will be even bigger and better. Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Eve and a New Year…I’m exhausted already.

I fell by the wayside of not blogging at least once a week but far exceeded my expectations by doing it a couple days out of the month. All these Moms that do it EVERYDAY are EXTRAORDINARY!!!

My camera has exploded and I’ve become a mass photo hoarder (not good for my hard drives!).

My guy has had many blessings last year and have experienced many things. From Legoland to Disneyland and camping, his biggest blessing is having been able to spend his days with family.

Here are some photo round-ups of the last few months since I haven’t shared in quite awhile! {although I have been somewhat active on IG if you follow me there…I think that counts!} These are all quite random in their order so don’t judge.

Top: The Diva was in The Nutcracker this year as an Angel!, with Santa at the Christmas tree farm

Middle: Carsland at Disney’s California Adventure with McQueen and Tow-Mader!

Bottom: Daredevil turned the big “2” in December and more visits at Disneyland!

Warm weather was kind and visited Southern California in November & December so we had some nice and sunny beach days! {Just look at those sculpted abs!} All the beach photos were taken on different days although it looks the same ’cause he’s wearing the same trunks and holding the same shovel…oops!

The “let’s look for Christmas trees dance”

And finally…New Year’s Eve! {note: we went to bed 15 minutes before midnight!}

Have a great Friday and wonderful weekend and I’ll be back next week to share more new things! Cheers!

Shark Week is still going strong! What’s a party without a shark shaped watermelon to serve to your guests? Thanks to my brother-in-law Jon for taking the time to contribute to my guy’s fin-tastic party. It was jaw-some!

There are many many tutorials for this online and especially on one of my favorite websites…Pinterest! So take your party to the next level and make a shark watermelon to serve your fruit out of and also serves as a visually appealing decorative item to the party! However you do it the little ones are going to be sooo amazed!

And let’s not forget about his fabulous 2nd B-day birthday chocolate cake done by one of my favorite peoples in the world, Eunhye Shim! You can follow her on IG @SUBBIE120! Her work is gorgeous, freaking amazeballs, and taste delicious as well! {you know normally you get the great looking cake and then it taste like paper?!…hers is a little slice of heaven!}

All our favorite things in a cake! The ocean, sharks, and surfing baby on a polka-dot board! I know you can’t really tell in the photos but I’m sure it is not coincidental that the board is somewhat a replica of my very own custom 7’0 polka dot fun board! Her details are stunning and it is such a gift to me that she was able to contribute this to his B-day party! She’s sooo busy!

It was so hot and humid in the afternoon that by 2:00, Bruce the Shark swam down to the table 😦

Are you tired of my shark referenced puns?! Well…alls I can say is too bad…YOU will look forward to a whole week of them! My little man’s shark themed birthday party got off to the right start with these sweet treats.

To top everything off we’ve got some Pinterest-inspired desserts for you and a lil’ bit of a DIY tip as well. Who doesn’t want to eat these awesome desserts?! Thanks to Megan & Diane Kile for making them and helping with the dessert set-up! Couldn’t have asked for better than these fellow crafters! Feel free to pin away and let’s get this party started!

Make your shark jello with blue jello {of course!}, get some shark gummies, tear open a few cuties, and top that boat with a sail! Our sails were from the store but you can easily make your own with cute tape {available everywhere} and a toothpick. Grab some spoons and eat up!

Onto some sun action here. We got those teddy grahams sunbathing on some brownies sprinkled with graham crackers for sand and lying on those sour tape things and an umbrella to protect them from the sun! Those slippahs are nutter butters with colored icing and a m&m. Sooo easy peasy!

Marshmallow fish pops! So you’ve probably seen many versions of this online and many tutorials and you’re probably wondering, “why didn’t she cover the whole marshmallow in blue chocolate to resemble the ocean?”. I actually did a test run of these a couple days before the party and covered the entire marshmallow in blue chocolate and I was on a sugar high the rest of the day. Can you imagine kids eating those all day? Yup, thought so. So I covered only half and just went with it. You will need jumbo marshmallows, crushed graham cracker crust, bag of fishes, blue melting chocolate, and lollipop sticks. This also works best if you roll the marshmallow into the chocolate rather than dipping it. I also used vegetable oil to get a runny consistency for the chocolate. If you’re the type to need an exact tutorial, here is a good blog, See Vanessa Craft. She has awesome photos too! I would have them too but most times I’m in too much of a hurry to get them done!

Aren’t these so much fun? And super easy for you to do with little to no effort for your shark/beach themed party. And who says you have to have a party to make these? It’s shark week…make em’ now!

My little man and I are super excited and this is our favorite week of the year…Shark Week! And it happened to follow Odin’s shark/beach themed party! So here’s a little sneak peek of upcoming stuff on the blog!

A close-up of Bruce the shark on his birthday cake! {what amazing detail…too good to eat!}

Some sharks swimming and we had to have a shark watermelon {thanks Uncle Jon for carving it out!}

Annd…I never ever {RARELY} post a photo of myself on the blog but for his birthday, I will make an exception. He only turns two once! Check out our shark shirts! {photo credit taken by Megan Kile as I bossily told her what I wanted…lol}

We are sooo EXCITED and Discovery Channel is kicking it off tonight! Whoop whoop! Check out the rest of the week for more!

OC Fair, one word = hot! An experience that hopefully the kids won’t forget and will maybe remember. Corn dogs, lemonade, fruit…you name it, the fair has got it. We ventured out on a cloudy Sunday morning and hoped it would stay that way but as fate would have it…sun came out and heated us up. It made for a gorgeous day nonetheless.

Our favorite part was having the kids getting their faces painted. Nothing I like better than enthusiastic and happy face painters!

I think the boys enjoyed looking at each other after the face painting.

Of course the fair had the requisite barn animals, rides, and carnival games. One of the other highlights was entering the “air-conditioned” building full of artwork and masterpieces. The cakes were fabulous to look at and the desserts that were entered into the contests were delightfully dazzling.

I am amazed at the time people take to grow their own fruits and vegetables! Sadly, everything I grow gets the Bora touch and eventually wilts away 😦

Check out that Eiffel Tower in the top middle photo…can you guess what it’s made out of?! Here’s a close-up shot.

Miniature perfume bottles! How cool!

While there are many many pros of the fair, let’s face it…there are also cons. While the pros far outweigh the cons, I gotta be honest and list some cons that kind of bothered me but I just “let it go” at the end of the day.

Not many rides for the 3 and younger crowd

Employees of the carnival games seemed to be “not happy” to be working the fair. {C’mon guys, these kids are super excited to be at the fair and are super excited to play these games…the least you can do is smile when they actually win something}

I hope you enjoyed my OC Fair 2014 review! I don’t want to end on a bad note so hopefully this guy’s smile will make you smile in return. I know just looking at him makes me get the honey glow something awful!

Let’s start this off again with me saying I’m sorry for not posting at least once last week! My bad…it’s just been a bit busy. But I’m glad to say that I’ve got lots of stuff for the coming weeks. There’s been so much going on, the OC Fair, park visits, and yes…my little Viking turned 2! Wowzers…where has the time gone!

Back to the post at hand…now where did I see this at?! I don’t remember but all I know is a lightbulb dinged in my head and I was like…wow that is AMAZING {hence…all caps!) and I’m going to share it with everyone I know!

I mean…who really is looking forward to the mess your little ones make with yogurt and a spoon? And then…ba boom! Why didn’t I just stick a straw in there and let them the sip the yogurt out? The heavens opened up and looked down at me generously that day! This works for all young ages, not just toddlers. I use it for my 6-year old niece as well and it works like a dream. They can even hold the container with their little hands! Easy-peasy.

The ones with the metallic lids work best because you can easily poke the straw through. The one in my photo is from Costco and those work best if you have a reusable straw because it’s a bit sturdier to poke with…or you can poke with a fork. I also prefer Yoplait because it is a but runnier than the other yogurts and sips through the straw easier. Feel free to comment if you know of other yogurts that are runny and yummy for the kiddos.

Have a great weekend and remember my toddler tip for the day! Look forward to other toddler tips on Mondays to start your week off.

If fruit had an ambassador, it would be me. For as long as I remember I am big on eating fresh fruit. And I may have influenced many people along the way, mainly my old school friends. I love that I am still connected to them and that they are a part of my life… it is amazing that some of us have kids! Sometimes I go back memory lane with them and I always hear, “You know what Beth {that’s what I went by back in the day}, I eat more fruit and berries because of you!”. It makes me smile and laugh when I hear that. It makes me feel good. That’s not to say I don’t eat junk food…I still like a twinkie and ho-ho every now and then, but if I had to choose my toppings for yogurt, I’d choose fresh fruit over candy any day.

Onto my latest adventure with the little guys…we went to Downtown Long Beach Farmer’s Market (here’s a good link for more info, http://www.goodveg.org/LBDT.html). I have to say I’m a little disappointed in it. In my heyday, it was humoungous and offered all sorts of things from food to crafts and it was on the promenade. I mean, it just went on forever. Now it is on one block with very little vendors and sadly…no crafts.

One of the best things though is the apple guy. He sells apples {well obviously!} and he cuts them into different characters for the kids! In minutes too!

{I will also say it disappeared in minutes and the head managed to roll somewhere unknown}

And thanks to the guys on the right who gave us free samples of their rib tip!

10 online points to anyone who can guess where that title is from. I’m not sure where you can use those points but save ‘em in case one day I have a giveaway or something!

We normally don’t have dinner at my sister’s because…well I don’t really know why but it usually involves the kids running around yelling and trying to get near the oven while she’s cooking or them taking out all the measuring cups and oven mitts.

The last time we were there, my guy decided to take out all the oven mitts and then proceeded to pass them out to all the kids so everyone had a pair. Hmmm…this is probably why my sister doesn’t have us over for dinner all the time!

They make this whole chicken recipe almost once a week and use the leftovers for many other things (sandwiches, salads, etc. etc.) If you like crispy chicken skin and citrusy aromas, then this is for you! Served with a side of buttery swiss chard…this makes for a lovely and deliciouso dinner. Here are links for the cheek-an (oookay…no more jokes!) and the swiss chard in case you get the drools and feel the need to cook this tonight! Thanks Food Network!

And I just can’t resist another foot picture. Little feet are sooo cute…don’tcha just want to eat ‘um up! Annddd…how you guys like my new blog format? Any comments, suggestions are welcome! Please be gentle!

Cambodian New Year 2014 ends at El Dorado Park in Long Beach, California. Very big, big changes that I’ve seen from when I was a kid. Don’t tell anyone I said this…but the organizers of this affair has gotten smarter over the years. From upped security to excess volunteers, it has gone from just us Khmer folk getting together… to a huge festival of another level. One of my favorite parts of the new year is seeing the traditional dances. I think they are just enchanting to watch.

Far too many things to cover. Long lines forming at food booths that I did not get in line for, jam-packed peoples like sardines near stage area, toy vendors hawking their merchandise to grandmommas and pappies, traditional games, Khmer karaoke…in public, evena small carnival with rides! It was very refreshing to see so many more races and nationalities attending the celebration. Now this is something I am thankful my Viking got to experience.

This was also the first time that my sister and I have attended with our kids. They had a fantastically awesome time! It was nice that we stuck with our tradition of picnicking near the lake and walking towards the brouhahas when we were ready. It was quiet and away from the chaos where we could eat and play without worry.

…and also sleep! Check out Mr. Daredevil in the top right corner after a wagon-ride around the lake 🙂